Like No Other
by MidnightFedora
Summary: Time is such a delicate thing, so easily changed with but a single thought... A young Ash Ketchum receives a visit from a certain legendary one night, and this soon changes the events leading up to his Pokémon journey. As the Chosen One travels across the land, he will gain power like no other, and soon the world will come to know him as the strongest trainer there ever was.
1. Prologue- The Journey Has Already Begun

**AN: Hello there!**

**I'm MidnightFedora, or Midnight. This is my first Pokémon fanfiction, and I hope you guys enjoy it. This is another fanfiction where Ash is smart, calm, ect. ect. This is inspired by a variety of Pokémon fanfictions out there, mainly 'Chronicles of the Chosen**** One: Pokemon Master' by Sabor364. That there is a fanfiction which has managed to have a very strong Ash, catching legendaries and generally being awesome, and pulled it off very successfully. There are some other great fanfictions, such as 'Ash's Master Quest' by Shadow10503, that manage to pull off having both an Aura using Ash and a psychic Ash. **

******In this fanfiction, I will start right from the beginning, even before he becomes a trainer, and show Ash developing and growing to become a very good trainer. He will catch legendaries (a lot of them), he will also have use of both aura and psychic abilities later on in his journey. While this fanfiction is inspired by Sabor364's it is not a re-write of that one. There will be some similarities, and some ideas that were used in 'Chronicles of the Chosen One' (and a million other fanfics) will be found in the fanfiction, but they are my own interpretations, and wouldn't be in here if I wasn't originally going to have something of the sort in this, even without reading other fics. **

******So I hope you enjoy, tell me what you think, because my continuation of this depends entirely on the response I get. **

******I do not own Pokémon,**

* * *

Time. Space. Threads woven together to create the world we live in. Together, it's a single, fragile thing. So easily changed, with but a single thought. It's never certain, still being woven, destinies changing every moment, at every action.

That's what happened to Ash Ketchum, though he would never really know.

It was so long ago that there was a Chosen One. The first Chosen One died protecting his kingdom, sacrificing himself in order for it's survival.

So what changed Ash Ketchum's path? A mere thought- a glimpse far into the future of many challenges and dangers that would stand in the way of a simple boy. That thought was passed on to one legendary Pokémon, and then further passed on to the one known as the God of Pokémon, Arceus.

And it was because of this that next time, being the Chosen One would actually mean something. The Chosen One would be guarded, watched over, and helped in any way possible to bring him to his full potential.

Ash Ketchum would become the greatest Pokémon Trainer to ever live- it had been foretold a long, long time ago.

* * *

Rest didn't come easy for the young boy. There was no particular reason why; the temperature was comfortable, his bed even comfier. He'd ran around that day, worn off plenty of energy, had nothing to eat or drink before bed that could have kept him awake, and he all in all felt very tired.

The three and a half year-old Ash Ketchum just felt as if he should stay awake- that there was something to see.

Of course, while he _was_ a bright young boy, these thoughts were more subconscious.

The silver moon shone its cool light through the window, showing the restless form of the child. Ash was tossing and turning, trying in vain to let sleep take a hold of him. He was facing away from the window, looking at the lightest spot on his carpet with warm amber eyes, when a shadow blocked the silvery glow.

Ash madly scrambled among his covers, trying to sit up and turn over to see what was at his window.

Nothing.

He blinked madly in confusion. It had been _right there! _

A soft giggling sounded, similar to the tune of wind chimes. A pink furred head peered up over the bottom of the window sill, feline in shape, with large baby blue eyes holding endless curiosity. The head moved up, and with it, a body. It was small to match the head, the same light pink. Two short arms hung across the front, three pointed digits on the end. Two large feet dangled freely in the air, swinging back and forth. Behind the creature flicked a thin tail, longer than the rest of the body, which was rounded at the end.

Ash gasped in awe- he'd never heard of such a Pokémon. He couldn't help but stare at the beautiful feline.

"Mew!" Came a cheery sound, somewhat muffled by the glass. It reached out and tapped the window, then cocked it's head to the side as if asking a question. In response, Ash fumbled at the latch that kept the aperture closed, un-doing it and swinging the window open.

The moment that it could, Mew, Ash knew that most Pokémon said their name, flew in, moving around the boy's head happily before stopping in front of him.

Ash slowly reached out his hand towards Mew, and when she didn't move away, he gently rubbed the soft fur between her ears. The feline let out a happy purr-like sound, leaning into the rub, gaining a smile and a quiet laugh from Ash.

"Mew!" The pink cat flew over to a small, soft ball that was left lying in the corner of Ash's room. She picked it up and gently tossed it to Ash, cheering as he caught it and flying around in circles. The young child smiled, getting what the Pokémon wanted and threw it back lightly. The two ended up playing with the ball and other toys quietly for about an hour, before Ash blinked tiredly and yawned, his eyes slipping closed slowly, before hastily being forced open again.

Seeing that the boy was near to sleep, Mew calmly flew forward and coaxed Ash into lying down, pulling the covers up over him and then deciding to curl up for a little while before she left. Ash smiled as the pink Pokémon snuggled into his chest, her own eyes closing as well.

* * *

It was nearly dawn when Mew woke up, long before the child would arise. She carefully removed herself from his side, drifting up into the air and staring down at Ash with warmth in her eyes. Turning to the latch of the window, she psychically opened it and flew outside, hovering there for a few more moments while watching the boy, then closing the window with care.

Darting towards the far off mountains, a thought graced her mind.

'_You'll go far, Chosen One.'_

* * *

_**-Four and a half years later-**_

He never knew if it was real, or if it was just a dream. That graceful Pokémon that appeared at his window one night, for seemingly no reason. The memory was blurry at best- it _was _a long time ago. He'd all but forgotten about it for a while, never bringing it up around anyone else, feeling as though it was a very important secret. He still didn't even know what the Pokémon was- he'd never felt the need to find out.

So far, Mew's visit hadn't affected Ash's life very much- _at all._

Until now.

"Come along, Ash! We don't want to be late to Professor Oak's, now, do we? The longer we take, the less time you'll be able to play with the Pokémon!" A middle-aged woman called.

This snapped the eight year-old out of his day-dreaming. Less time with the Pokémon!? He couldn't let that happen!

Ash ran forward to catch up with his mum, looking in awe as the famed professor's laboratory came into view. And it was just at the front of an expansive ranch, the Pokémon of trainers, both old and new, wild Pokémon, and even those of the greying Samuel Oak himself.

"Are you excited, honey?"

"You bet, mum! What sort of Pokémon do you think there's gonna be? Do you think I'll be able to play with the starters?" Ash kept on rambling out questions as fast as they could come. His mother laughed, shaking her head at his excitement.

A minute or two and a door-bell ring later, and the two found themselves greeted by an aging man who stood proudly, a warm smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He had fading brown hair, was of a height slightly shorter than average, and wore a white lab coat over a polo shirt and khaki pants.

"Ah, Delia! It's been a while!" He stated.

"It has been, hasn't it? You haven't met my son yet- Professor Oak, this is Ash. Ash, this is my old mentor, Professor Oak."

"Nice to meet you sir! Can I please play with the Pokémon now?"

The adults chuckled and shook their heads at the child's antics. He truly loved Pokémon, even though he'd not been around many yet.

"Sure Ash, follow me. They're right out the back here." He boy wasted no time, hurrying after the Professor as fast as he could.

When they reach the back, after walking through some halls and a glass door, Ash gaped at the sight before him. Pokémon of many sizes and shapes milled around, battled, trained and played. While he didn't know what most of them were, he still stood amazed at the sight of them.

"Now Ash, while most of these Pokémon are friendly, here are some of them that are wild or defensive. Because none of them know you, you need to be careful about which ones you approach. Understand?" While his voice was stern, it was because he didn't want the child to get hurt. "And don't wander too far- the forests around here are hard to navigate, and you could get lost. Not to mention I want you close in case something happens."

Ash nodded hurriedly, wanting to go play all-ready. "Yes Professor Oak. Now can I _pleeeeeaaaaaase _go!?"

The man nodded with a smile, and Ash wasted no time in running onto the fields before stopping for a moment to look for a good Pokémon to go play with.

He looked over the field before him. He could see a lake far off, as well as the forest to the side. Close to him was two small and similar-looking Pokémon, one purple and the other light blue, running around with a slightly larger brown and cream furred Pokémon. He slowly, and shyly, walked over, stopping a meter from the three. They stopped their game and looked at him happily.

"Vuie?" Asked the larger one.

"Hi, my name's Ash! Can I play with you three?" He questioned, gathering his courage. He didn't have any real friends at school, and no one really wanted to play with him. He hoped it wasn't the same with Pokémon.

His fears were quickly banished, for the three quadrupeds all smiled warmly.

"Nido, doran!" The small blue one nodded, before perking up as if it had an idea. It- though he thought it was a girl, turned to the brown Pokémon. "Do, ni ran?" She asked.

"Ee! Eebui!" The Pokémon cheered- Ash thought this one was a boy. He seemed pleased with the idea. Turning to the purple one, he said "Bui! Eebui, vuie?" In response the middle sized one- it seemed to be a boy also, nodded, before scampering off to another location. It was at this time that Ash actually remembered what the Pokémon were- an Eevee and two Nidoran.

Eevee started making a series of gestures towards Ash, trying to explain something. He ducked down and covered his eyes, before standing up and moving his head as if looking for something.

"Oh, do you want to play hide and seek?" Ash realised. Eevee nodded, and at this time the purple Nidoran returned with two small purple rodents- Rattata.

It's not long before they find themselves fully immersed in the game, at first someone would count to ten, then go and find everybody that had hidden. When somebody was found, they'd help with finding the others.

"Bui!" Eevee squealed has Ash suddenly moved aside the bush that he was hiding under.

"Haha, found you Eevee! C'mon, let's go find the others!" Ash cheered, Eevee running after him.

They'd been searching for a while, but they couldn't find the others anywhere. They found themselves in from of the forest.

"Do you think they went in there, Eevee?"

Said brown Pokémon sniffed the air for a moment, and then nodded. They all had gone this way. The two started walking among the trees, keeping their senses open to any signs of the others. Eevee's head whipped to the side, where he had heard something from. Ash's head went the other way, having seen something move through the branches.

"You go that way Eevee. I'll look over here- if we split up we'll be able to look in more places." He decided, forgetting the rule that Professor Oak set out for him.

After the two went their separate ways, it wasn't long before Ash found himself lost. The forest seemed endless, and by now he was more concerned with finding a way out than finding his new friends. They lived around here, and would know their ways around easily. He, on the other hand, had no experience walking through these areas.

A low grumble sounded behind him, and he turned to see a large grey creature- larger than Ash, anyways- standing on four short legs with a short horn sticking out between it's eyes.

Ash gulped. The Pokémon didn't look friendly or happy, and it was at this moment that it started backing up slowly.

He should have run at that point, but he was too scared. He didn't want the Pokémon to attack because he suddenly moved.

But that didn't matter, because the Pokémon had started running forwards, anyway. It was then that Ash spun on his heel and bolted as fast as he could- but he wouldn't be fast enough.

Running. Running. Running. He was too slow, he needed to go faster. Keep going faster, and faster, and faster, and faster- _it was so close because he wasn't fast enough._

He braced for the attack as much as he could, but when he never felt anything he stopped running for a moment- against his instincts- and looked behind him warily. The Pokémon was still there, but it wasn't moving, as a shocked look was displayed across it's face.

A pink energy surrounded it, holding is in place easily.

"Mew!" The cry was somewhat angry sounding, and a dis-pleased pink cat Pokémon appeared in front of Ash.

The grey Pokémon was slowly lifted up into the air, before suddenly being flung back into the undergrowth. It could be heard fleeing, heavy footsteps trampling away.

"…Mew…" Ash breathed.

The feline spun around in mid-air to face the young boy, a happy look on her face, before she sipped off amongst the trees in the blink of an eye.

"Wait, Mew!" He called, before sighing in slight exasperation, and taking off running again.

Shades of green blurred slightly on the edge of his sight, his focus purely on any possible signs of Mew. He barely ducked under another branch, catching another glimpse of light pink, his tired legs pumping to keep up with his demands.

Sunlight hit his eyes without warning, and he saw that he was back at the edge of the forest, facing into the Pokémon ranch.

A group of small Pokémon tackled him to the ground, Eevee chittering with worry and the two Rattata nuzzling his chest. Both of the Nidoran were chanting their names at him, seemingly asking if he was okay.

"Thanks guys, I'm fine. A bit tired, but fine."

This seemed to throw on a switch, the Pokémon relaxing visibly.

Ash turned his head in every possible direction, searching for a flash of light pink that belonged to a certain cat Pokémon, but nothing came into sight.

"Ash, is everything all right?" Professor Oak called out.

"Yeah, Professor Oak. I'm fine."

* * *

It was later that Delia, Ash, and Professor Oak could be found sitting in the kitchen back at the Ketchum residence.

"This is wonderful cooking, as always Delia, though I think you might have gotten better!" Professor Oak complimented.

"Thank you, Professor Oak. Ash here has the stomach of a Snorlax- it gives me plenty of practice when it comes to cooking, right Ash?"

Said boy was looking down at his lap, deep in thought. His food was mostly un-touched. "Huh? Oh, yeah…" He replied absent-mindedly.

"Are you okay Ash? You've barely touched your food!"

"Yeah, mum, it's just…" He looked up. "All of those Pokémon I saw today, there were so many that I didn't even know of. Seeing them all just made me realise how little I know, and I'm a bit worried about going on a Pokémon journey in a couple of years' time." He confessed, a serious expression on his face. "I mean, there are so many things that could go wrong. I know we get Pokédexes, but there's not always going to be time to use them if I have to run away from something. If I already knew what the Pokémon was, I'd be able to defend myself without needing to wait. And what would I feed my Pokémon? Sure, there's the generic Pokémon food, but it takes something better than that to keep a Pokémon in it's best shape. Thinking about that, what am I going to eat, myself? Not only are my Pokémon are going to need to eat good, but me as well! I'm going to be walking all over the region, climbing mountains, wading through swamps. Heck, I don't think that I'd be able to do any of that really well any time soon, I'm too un-fit. And I can't navigate at all! I'd get lost really easy." He stopped to take a breath. "I don't know about many Pokémon, I don't know how to look after them, or myself, and I'd have heaps of trouble travelling. I'm just not ready for a Pokémon journey, and at the rate I'm going, I won't be ready in two years' time, either."

The two adults were shocked into silence.

It was a moment before anyone spoke again, then Professor Oak broke the silence with a light chuckle.

"Ah, If only my grandson considered any of this. He'd be much better prepared to go on his own journey. From what I heard, he plans to drive a car." The man gained a contemplative look on his face. "I know! Ash, why don't you start visiting my lab when you get the chance? You can help look after the Pokémon, and I'd teach you all I can about them, through first-hand experience and some reading, if you're up to it. Of course, you have to _want _to learn, and your mother has to be okay with it." He turned to the woman, who was sniffling with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, my little boy's growing up! Of course you can go, Ashy, and I can teach you how to cook, for both you and your Pokémon!" She was smiling.

Ash grinned. "I'd love to! And I suppose I can start doing more exercise and fitness training, so I'll be physically ready! I can't wait!"

The grown-ups smiled and laughed at Ash's enthusiasm, a warm feeling settling over the group.

Ash Ketchum was taking the first steps to becoming a Pokémon Master- to becoming the best of the best.

* * *

Ash sat, flipping through a book he'd thoroughly read a large amount of. The book named every confirmed Pokémon and every Pokémon that weren't, but instead thought to be real. It kept some basic information on them all, the perfect place to start learning, and Ash'd already memorized most of the Kanto 'natives' off by heart.

When Professor Oak'd agreed to tutor the young boy, he had already known that he had the potential to be great, and learn a lot- He just never anticipated how fast Ash would learn. The eight year old was like a sponge when it came to information on Pokémon, among other things. The boy's grades hadn't been all too good, but the moment he heard that another condition for his daily visits to the lab would be him keeping his grades at a C, minimum, Ash had actually started paying attention, practically absorbing the knowledge and then applying it to his work. He was now working at a high B level, and the teachers were impressed with his improvement.

What was even more impressing was his current ability to recall and recite most Kanto registered Pokémon and some basic facts about them. And it'd only been two weeks- imagine what the boy could do after a whole month!

'_Articuno_

_Articuno is a large avian species of Pokémon. Several sightings of different Articuno have been officially recorded. Height ranges from 5'07" to 6'5". The body colour ranges from a light sky blue to a slightly darker blue. It's crest and tail are always the same mid-blue. It's talons and beak are either a light brown/pink, or a dark grey. The tail length ranges from 1.5 x the height of the body to 2 x the height of the body. It is classified to be an ice and flying type. The Pokémon has been spotted in snowy and mountainous areas, and is said to save lost travellers. Articuno is one of the three legendary Bird Trio.'_

Next to the Pokémon's name was a blurry picture, and at the bottom of the page was an artist's interpretation of peoples' descriptions and the few blurry images that had been captured.

He sighed and skipped past the next two- Moltres and Zapdos, as he'd already memorized them, as well as Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite, which he'd come back after he had a look at what Pokémon were coming up, before freezing at the next one- he'd found it.

'_Mew_

_Mew is a Pokémon that has not been confirmed to exist, the only evidence being ancient temples dedicated to it and one or two possible sightings, lasting five seconds at the most. The size of Mew is not known, but is estimated to be around a foot tall. Ancient scripts name Mew as the 'ancestor of all Pokémon', but this cannot be confirmed. Mew is believed to be able to learn every Pokémon attack, and be extremely powerful._

_Mew is believed to be feline in appearance, with two short front arms and large hind-quarters. It has a long thin tail, with a bulb-like shape at the end. Possible sightings have lead scientists to believe that Mew is white in colour.'_

On the page was an image of a stone engraving, showing a picture of a feline creature, straight lines used to construct it.

'_Not confirmed? But I saw her, clear as day just two weeks ago. And that time, years ago. I played with that Pokémon; I remember that she curled up to me as I fell asleep. And she saved me from that Rhyhorn- and that definitely lasted longer than five seconds. And she's definitely pink, not white.' _Ash pondered.

He decided to just flip through the rest of the book for now, to see what other Pokémon were known. It would be a few minutes later that he was nearly finished taking a glance at the Sinnoh registered Pokémon, when he stumbled across another amazing Pokémon.

'_Arceus…'_

* * *

Delia started setting up to cook dinner, knowing Ash would be home soon to help. She wondered what his favourite Pokémon would be today. So far, every day that he'd come home from the lab, he had a new favourite, and it was pretty obvious that there was no particular defining feature of each of the Pokémon he said- the boy just loved Pokémon in general.

The sound of the door opening prompted the mother to look up toward the kitchen entrance with a smile as her son came into view.

"Hi honey, how was your day?" she was rewarded with a great grin.

"It was awesome! I finished Kanto today, and helped feed some of the water types!"

"That sounds great, Ash! What's your favourite Pokémon today?"

"Oh, that's easy! Mew and Arceus!"

* * *

Dawn broke the lengthy night, prompting the wake of the eight year old boy. He happily rose from bed, lacking the normal aversion to early mornings like most kids.

One month since he first met Professor Oak, one week since he started this early morning exercise routine, and he'd found that he enjoyed it.

Out of bed, shorts, sneakers, and singlet. Go outside. Stretch, warm up. Start jogging, then soon-

Running. Running. Running.

* * *

"Okay Ash, now add the pecha berries, and then give it a moment before stirring."

Learning to cook had been a bumpy road, but after a little practice he'd started to get the hang of it. He was currently learning to make poffins, starting with a sweet batch.

Several minutes later, the batter was finished and poured into the tin, before using an oven mitt to place them in the pre-heated oven.

He stood back in satisfaction, the oven timer ticking away to the side. He ducked up-stairs into his room- which had been cleaned as yet another requirement of his time at the ranch- and grabbed a book of his shelf, where several books related to Pokémon had accumulated, and then made his way back into the dining room, where he could see the oven. He sat down, opening the book- _Food to Go; A Guide to Food for Both Trainers and Pokémon-_ to the page he was last on, and then continued his reading.

'_The flavour of berry a Pokémon likes is only partially defined by their type, species, and nature- in fact, food preference is almost completely up to the Pokémon individual, just as it is with humans. To find what your Pokémon likes the most will take a bit of time, and then you have to make sure they are still eating food that's good for them and contains all the right nutrients._

_There are some foods that aren't good for Pokémon to eat, and will make them very sick. Though, now days most food is made to be both Pokémon and human friendly, even generic Pokémon food (this can be eaten by humans, but it's not recommended). If a food item is un-healthy for human's it will likely be unhealthy for Pokémon too- neither should eat too much chocolate! _

_There are some obvious things that Pokémon can eat that humans can't, but most of these things will be specific to a certain species or type of Pokémon. Most fire types are able to safely eat coal, and some even enjoy it. It acts as fuel for the inner fire of some Pokémon, and can strengthen their attacks…'_

His reading continued for a few minutes, before a buzzing sounded. He placed a book-mark in between the pages and closed the cover over, before standing and walking over to the oven, grabbing a mitt from the bench as he moved.

Pulling the baked treats out from the oven, he smiled as his eyes rested on the perfectly cooked pink coloured poffins. A sweet, slightly sugary smell wafted from them, and after tipping them onto a cooling rack and waiting for a few minutes, and picked up one and took a mouthful, pride filling him as a pleasant, sweet flavour graced his taste-buds.

While waiting for the rest to cool a bit more, he grabbed a cloth to place them in, as well as a few more berries of different flavours. When they were ready, the sweet poffins and the berries were placed onto the cloth, where the corners were tied together to keep them all in. Grabbing the bag, he made his way out of the house and down the road to where the Pokémon ranch was. His mom had gone to get some mulch for her garden, which Ash now helped with, while the Pokémon treats were cooking.

Arriving at the laboratory, he opened the door and walked in, having been told he didn't need to knock.

"Professor Oak! I finished some poffins this morning, do you mind if I take them out to the Pokémon?" he asked as he passed the man, who was in his office.

"Sure, Ash! Just be careful with the special diet Pokémon, will you?"

"Got it!"

When he arrived out at the back, he was greeted by a small group of Pokémon containing an Eevee, two Nidoran, two Rattata, and one Pidgey. These were Pokémon he interacted with often, and they'd become well acquainted.

The Eevee acted as the leader of the group, watching over them and keeping them in line. He was bred and raised by Professor Oak, and enjoyed life on the ranch. He'd taken on the name Aaron, after the legendary Aura Guardian of Kanto, Sir Aaron.

Dora and Doran, as he had come to call them, were wild. Dora was a bit cheeky and mischievous, while Doran was calm and aloof. They were siblings, who'd wandered out of their nests when they were you and eventually finding themselves a home here.

One of the Rattata was wild, who'd adopted the name Rico. He was a bit extravagant, but had a good heart, and was always willing to help out… No matter how much he 'sang' when he went on 'missions'.

The older and larger one was a trainer Pokémon, but he had a trainer who had all but forgotten him. Remy was the first Pokémon the trainer had caught, but the moment he had a full team the rodent was sent back to the Professor's lab and hadn't been acknowledged since- un-fortunately, there was no rule about such a thing. It was sad, but he had found a new family in the group of Pokémon as well as Ash. He was cheerful, for the most part, though a bit solemn every now and then. Ash swore he'd never forget Pokémon in such a way.

The last Pokémon was the Pidgey, who joined their group only a week ago. She was more interested in settling down and enjoying life than the constant fight of the wild, so when her flock flew over the Pokémon ranch she said goodbye and came down here, where she was found by Ash and introduced to the others. She was shy, but got along well with the others and cared deeply for them. She liked to go by the name Cara.

"Hey guys, I brought some poffins and berries! I made sweet ones because I know that most of you like sweet food. I also brought some berries for you guys, Dora, Rico."

The Pokémon cheered, happy to try out he treats he'd made. Ash set down the make-shift bag and un-tied the corners, letting the cloth sit flat. The Pokémon ran in to grab some of the treats, while Ash grabbed a few more and was about to go out in search for a few of the other Pokémon that enjoyed sweet food. He needn't bother, because a few of the other Pokémon came over to him, looking for food. He happily handed out a few to the Clefairy, Butterfree, and surprisingly the shy Ariados that was usually a bit stand-offish. Soon they were greeted by a Ledian and Nuzleaf, as well as a Mime Jr.

Surrounded by the Pokémon as they happily interacted and ate berries and poffins, Ash felt like he was truly at home. Sure, he loved his mother and his house with all of his heart, but when he was with the Pokémon, something just…clicked, and the eight year-old knew exactly where he belonged.

* * *

Ash was with his mother, walking through the town to look at some visiting street vendors. Many different goods were being displayed for sale, ranging from rare gems to rare foods, to even rare materials. Normally expensive products were on sale for a good price, making them affordable to those who didn't have massive amounts of money to spend.

"See anything you like, Ash?" Delia asked.

"Not yet-" He paused looking over as a particular stall. He turned back to his mother, who nodded, before running over.

Small pieces of metal had been worked into some-what simple amulets and medallions, different Pokémon inscribed into the surface, finished with little pieces of gems to add a bit of colour.

The one in particular that had caught his eye was a Mew one, a golden circle with elegant lines curving around in the shape of the Pokémon, who looked as if she was looking to the light green gem in the middle.

The aged man behind the counter smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Do you like that one, kid?"

Startled slightly, having been staring intently at the amulet, Ash looked up at the man in surprise.

"Uh, erm, yeah. But it's so… It probably costs too much, it's just so pretty." He said.

"Not at all, kid. That one has been up for sale for a long while- You can have it for free, I need to get rid of it anyway."

Ash gaped. "R-really?"

The man smiled again. "Sure, go ahead and take it."

He carefully picked it up, before smiling and thanking the man profusely.

"Mum! Look at what I got!" He showed it to her.

"That's very beautiful, Ash! So I take it you still like Arceus and Mew the most?"

"Yep!"

* * *

Another school day ended, and Ash walked proudly down the road holding a white sheet with a nice big A+ up in the corner. His grades had only gotten better, and he was the best in his class, even compared to Gary Oak.

"Ketchum! How did you manage to get a higher score than me!?" The brunette exclaimed.

He didn't reply to the nasally voice, instead choosing to ignore the arrogant person storming behind him. _'Part one tutoring from your grandpa, part two a condition to play with the Pokémon every day, part three hard work and dedication.' _ Indeed, once he started paying attention, the work actually didn't seem too boring.

"Don't ignore me!"

Nothing.

"Heh, you know what? It doesn't even matter! I know you'll just fail at becoming a Pokémon trainer anyway."

Nothing.

Because Ash Ketchum was mature enough to know that all Gary wanted was for him to respond.

* * *

Running. Running. Running. He was too slow, he needed to go faster. Keep going faster, and faster, and faster, and faster- _keep pushing forward, and work to be fast enough._

Over a log, under a branch, up into the trees and over the river.

Never stop, keep moving, go faster, keep breathing.

Large boulder in the way- move it.

Onto a rock in into the air.

Keep running.

The water's shallow- go through it.

Up the tree, keep climbing.

Jump out, onto a ledge.

Climb the cliff, keep climbing.

Make it to the top.

Keep running.

Ground slopes down- crouch and slide.

Keep sliding down, reach the bottom.

Don't stop moving, run to the lake.

Jump in, start swimming. Keep pushing on further.

Reach the other side, get out, keep running.

Reach a clearing, stop, focus on breathing.

Catch breath, get down start doing push-ups.

Sit-ups.

Lift rocks, get stronger.

Sit down, clear head.

No thoughts.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Get up, start running.

Running. Running. Running. He was too slow, he needed to go faster. Keep going faster, and faster, and faster, and faster- keep pushing forward, and work to be fast enough.

When Ash Ketchum got home, he was out of breath, drenched in sweat, and aching to the bone. But a grin slit his features.

He was nearly there- nearly fast enough. Nearly strong enough.

* * *

He closed the book with satisfaction, adding it to the pile next to him on his desk.

A month until he turned ten, and by this point there was few registered Pokémon he couldn't recall detailed information on off by heart, and even fewer he hadn't even heard of.

"Ash! Professor Oak called; he said he has a challenge for you at the lab!" His mother called,

Knowing that this could be interesting- it always was when he was called from his house to do one, he put his shoes on and ran down-stairs and out the door, waving to his mum as he did so.

"Be careful!"

At the lab, he was directed out to the back by one of Oak's lab assistants, where he saw the Professor standing there with a Pokéball in hand.

"Ash, today you are going to do a bit of a test- we're going to have a battle, but you need to get a certain Pokémon to battle with you."

Ash nodded. "Got it. Which Pokémon, Professor?"

The man pointed over to the tall grass, where a Pangoro that was well known for being aggressive to most people was sitting. It had been abandoned by its trainer a few months ago.

Ash nodded, ready to take on this particular challenge.

Approach the Pokémon.

Befriend it.

Get it to accept battling with him.

Beat Professor Oak.

"I understand."

Ash calmly walked over in the direction of the Pokémon, naturally falling into a stance that would help him approach the Pokémon. He stood with his back straight, shoulders and chin even, feet a comfortable width apart, eyes open to the point where he didn't seem sleepy, but not so much that he appeared excited. The corners of his mouth turned up ever-so-slightly in genuine happiness. It was something that he didn't really need to think about, he just instinctively the best way to look when approaching different Pokémon.

This Pangoro needed to see that Ash wasn't weak, but not aggressive, either. He also needed to see that Ash wasn't afraid of him and didn't see him as a threat. Look strong, but not in a position to attack or defend.

Ash stopped a meter and a half from the large grey and white creature, knowing that if the Pokémon attacked he wouldn't have anytime to run. Sometimes, you needed to take a chance. He was showing that he trusted the Pokémon to a certain extent, and if anything that would confuse them a little bit.

"Hey there, Pangoro. We haven't actually met before, but you've probably seen me around here a bit. My name's Ash, it's nice to meet you." He held out his hand for a handshake. He was definitely taking a risk by doing this, but he wasn't going to stop.

Slightly confused, Pangoro hesitantly returned the hand-shake, looking at Ash with slight curiosity.

Seeing that the Pokémon wasn't close to attacking, Ash's stance relaxed a bit, his smile growing, making himself appear friendlier.

"Pangoro, I have a favour to ask of you. Professor Oak challenged me to a battle, but on the condition that I can convince you to fight along-side me. I know that you aren't very happy about what your last trainer did, but even for the short duration of the upcoming battle, I swear I will treat you with all the respect you deserve."

The large bear narrowed his eyes, then after a moment of silence nodded his head, accepting the offer.

"Thanks, Pangoro. Now let's go beat him!"

And beat him they did- Professor Oak didn't stand a chance.

* * *

The two Pokémon were sparring, one of them a recent member of Ash's group of friends.

A Machop belonging to a retired trainer was up against a Sawk from the Unova region, who was going to be going back to it's trainer soon. The two were close friends, and had decided to have one last spar before Sawk had to go. Luckily, Machop was now also close friends with their group, and wouldn't be too lonely once the blue Pokémon left. The grey Pokémon was known as Sentō-ki, a word that meant 'fighter ' in Japanese.

Ash watched their spar with a contemplative look on his face, an idea forming in his head.

The Pokémon stood apart, and bowed to each other out of respect, before Sawk waved goodbye and went in the direction of the lab.

Sentō-ki, or Sento, as he was often called, seemed a bit sad to have lost someone to fight with, but Ash knew his idea would fix that.

"Hey, Sento. I have a favour to ask of you…"

Grinning, the Machop happily started instructing the boy in the art of fighting.

* * *

"Dinner's ready!" A voice called.

It was not the voice of Delia, but her son instead. Ash'd been practicing his culinary skills a lot recently, and was now cooking dinner every other night. Tonight it was French Onion Soup, which he happily set down a bowl of in front of both him and his mother.

He'd been focusing on making foods that would be easier on his journey- soups, stews, just keeping it reasonably simple.

Together they took a bite, smiling at the wonderful taste.

"Ash, this in great!"

"Thanks mum."

* * *

Delia help up the item of clothing happily, knowing her son would love it.

His favourite Pokémon still hadn't changed, and Delia wanted to make something that related to one of them, since he already had something for the other.

Besides, her motherly instinct told her that Ash could achieve his dream to be the best, as well as being someone that Pokémon knew as a friend.

So, to her that meant that he was is fully deserving of an outfit that resembles Arceus.

* * *

The match was fast paced, a kick here, a punch there, dodging and jumping. A round kick to the abdomen and an upper-cut in return.

Ash had been learning to fight for a while now, and had naturally gotten the hang of it. He could now match Sento as well as many other well trained fighting types in a fight, his daily exercise and strength training were a big help, and his knowledge and skill making up for the rest.

A low sweep at Sento's ankles, spinning around as the Pokémon jumped and delivering an elbow to his chest. After that, the fight stopped, Ash offering a hand to lift his friend from the ground.

He turned to the group of Pokémon, his closest friends, and smiled with triumph. They all cheered and tackled him to the ground, laughter echoing lightly around them.

* * *

_**-The night of Ash Ketchum's tenth birthday-**_

"Happy birthday Ash!" came the collective voices of his mother and Professor Oak, as well as some of the lab assistants he'd come to know.

Various other cries had joined in as well, ranging from 'Eebuie!' to 'Pan, go!', all of them conveying the same message.

Not only were they cheering to congratulate him on turning ten, but for finally reaching his pre-trainer goals.

After two years of constant hard work and dedication, training both his body and mind, Ash knew that he was finally ready for his Pokémon journey- which was due to start tomorrow.

Today, though, Ash had decided to solely focus on enjoying his birthday- opening presents, eating cake, playing with the Pokémon, and spending time with everybody who'd been there for him through-out the years.

"Awe, guys… Thank you so much!" He cried out in happiness. Before him on the grass just out-side behind the lab, was a semi-long table with enough food for everyone, and a large cake made to be eaten by both humans and Pokémon.

Soon the celebrations began, Ash playing games with all the Pokémon (except Pangoro, who preferred to watch), ranging from ball games to an all-time favourite- hide and seek. It was the game that had begun to bring the friends together in the beginning, and was now their favourite game to play to remember that. While there was a slight communication barrier between Ash and the rest, that hadn't hindered them much to begin with, and was hardly acknowledged anymore. Ash knew the Pokémon well enough that he often had a close idea as to what they were saying, and he'd learned all the little movements they made that conveyed their words in near clarity.

He'd learnt that one day, Aaron wanted to become a Leafeon.

Rico's favourite human food was Mexican.

Cara was considering searching for a mate once she fully evolved, and starting a family on the ranch.

Many other little quirks, dreams, and traits of the Pokémon were common knowledge to him now, and he knew that he'd miss them when he started his journey.

"Found you, Rico. You really need to find better hiding places, you know!" the Rattata in question huffed, before running off to find some more of their friends.

Later, Ash found himself in front of a large group of presents, which he tried to guess the contents of.

"Well, stop staring at them and open them, already!" A lightly mocking but playful voice cut into his thoughts. Lyle was the youngest of the lab assistants, and the one who Ash often hung out and had conversations regarding Pokémon with.

Ash grabbed the nearest one- funnily one from Lyle- and opened it to reveal…

"Pokémon training for Dummies. Really, Lyle? Really?" He said, false seriousness coating his words.

"It's perfect for you, huh kid?" He replied with a serious nod. "Yes, with that book, you could take over the world!" He declared dramatically.

"I'll be sure to try that out." He joked.

Other presents consisted of a few more Pokémon books, a new alarm clock- his old one broke, very long story- customized Pokéballs, some bits and pieces for his journey, like a prototype new Pokedéx, courtesy of Professor Oak as a 'thank you' for all his hard work around the lab- he knew it had a built in phone, map, and the national Pokédex, but according to the Professor, he'd find out about some new features 'as time goes on'.

The last present was one of the best in his opinion.

"An outfit!" He cheered.

The mostly white material hung comfortably in his hands, the material thick for the colder weather and strong enough to resist a lot of tearing. The collar came down the front pretty far, the outside white and the inside a dark grey. The zip was a warm, bright yellow colour, matching that of the pockets and the stripe that ran up the sides and reached the arm-pits. The sleeves reached the wrist, and had a yellow triangle on the underside. On the ark grey inside of the jacket was many pockets and other bits and pieces that could hold small items. On the front was four small green 'packets' that served the same purpose.

Looking down at the rest of the things before him, he saw thick black jeans with dark grey packets, a dark grey V-neck singlet, a pair of yellow gloves with white edges, a belt that had places to hold six shrunken Pokeballs, a pair of comfortable and durable shoes that were white with gold, and a thinner version of the same jacket and pants.

"Mum, this is…Amazing! It must have taken so long to make this, and you even partially based it off one of my favourite Pokémon! "

"I'm so glad you like it, Honey. But there's just one thing…Remember to change your you-know-what's every day!"

"Mum!"

* * *

Ash sat in his room, looking over the things set before him; his new bag, which was a large gold and black one that could hold all of the things he'd need, and his outfit, which he would put on tomorrow morning.

It was hard to believe that tomorrow morning he'd be leaving his home to begin his Pokémon journey, where he'd take the Gym Challenge and attempt to get into the Pokémon Indigo League, and then to win it. It was the first step to becoming a Pokémon Master, and he knew he was ready.

Somewhat nervous, he checked over all of the items in his bag once again, making sure he had everything. Once that was done, he changed into his pyjama's, double checked that his alarm clock was set, and turned off the light, getting in under the covers and looking out into the moon-lit sky.

'_One day, I _will _be a Pokémon Master- Watch out world. And Mew- I'm going to find you again, no matter how long it takes.'_

* * *

The sound of Dodrio cawing resonated through the calm and peaceful town of Pallet, Pidgey were gliding over-head, Tauros were wandering through grassy plains, and-

"_**I'M LATE!"**_

* * *

**So, that was a bit long.**

**Whether you like long fanfictions or not is up to you, but the chapters aren't going to be this long again. I just needed to try and fit all of that in because I didn't want to split it up. **

**The whole point of that was to show what events led to Ash actually being a good trainer, and that the legends are watching over him because this time around, being the Chosen One will _actually _mean something.**

**All those bits and pieces between Ash's first visit to the ranch and to his birthday happened over the two year time period. You can mentally sort them out how-ever you want, but it was just to show Ash preparing for his journey and what his life is like.**

**The next chapter will start on the first episode, Ash will still be getting Pikachu.**

**So what did you think? Do you like the idea? Do you want to see more? Did I fail on an epic scale? Let me know!**

**To those who wish to flame- go away, no one cares about how 'ths sux!' or that 'THIS IS STUPID DONT READ THIS!' because all you're doing is showing how you have no idea what grammar is. **

**I am fully open to constructive criticism, and if you liked it, please tell me exactly what you enjoyed! It's nice to see that 'This is a good fanfic, please update!' but being told what it was specifically that people liked is even better.**

**Cheers! **


	2. Chapter One- It's Time

**AN: Hello there!**

**I have never been so happy to have posted the beginning of a story- your response was amazing!**

**Thank you to: AkiTsuki-chan, jayjayplaya987, Walkebur000, Eznorb, BlackLatios562, CGFlare, Flaming Silver, MyNoseAgreesWithMe, Uranium235, Kalm1234, SoulC, pokefan-93, Amalgam24, jozs001, and Lighting-Squall for your reviews, and many others for their favorites and follows!**

**Some answers to a few of the questions;**

**Q. How often will the story be updated?  
A. Mostly whenever I finish a chapter and then have the time to post it. Hopefully once or twice a week, shall all go well.**

**Q. Will the Pokémon have nicknames?  
A. That was something that I've considered, but haven't decided on. I think that in this story, Ash would be the sort of person to nickname his Pokémon, for both personal and strategy reasons, but I will decide before the next chapter, where he would start using them if he did.**

**Q. Will Mewtwo be in this?  
A. SPOILER ALERT yes.**

**A few other things were mentioned, such as pairings, and having both psychic and aura abilities.**

**MINOR SORT OF SPOILER ALERT.**

**As far as pairings go, the kid's only ten. I'm not really sure if I want to do any pairings in this, but I have plenty of time, because Ash will actually age, and will be around about fourteen by Hoen/Kanto Battle Frontier. If there is a pairing, then it's going to be sometime later.**

**As far as the abilities go, Ash won't actually have any access to aura until he meets Lucario for 'Lucario and the Mystery of Mew', so it'll be quite a while before that. Psychic abilities are going to start developing during Orange Islands, but that'll be a very slow process, and it's going to be a while before he is able to efficiently use them.**

**Ash will have a lot of Pokémon, as well as legendaries, but for now I'm going to be mainly focusing on the Pokémon he gets in the anime, and on showing how they become a lot stronger than they normally would. There'll be a few extras, but nothing major until the end of Kanto. **

**So here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy this as much as you did the prologue, and that I didn't fail you all.**

* * *

"I'm late, I'm late, I can't believe I'm late… How did I sleep through the alarm!?"

Words like these were on repeat as the young, soon-to-be trainer, Ash Ketchum, frantically moved about his room, hastily donning his new outfit and double checking the contents of his bag. 9:00 am flashed steadily on the digital screen of his new clock, the same time he was supposed to arrive at the lab to get his first Pokémon.

"Ash, is everything all right?" Came his mother's call.

"I slept in!" He replied loudly.

His door suddenly opened, a worried woman standing in the door way.

"Mum! I could have been getting dressed!" Ash complained.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before. Go to Professor Oak's lab, I'll bring your bag over. "

Nodding, the ten-year-old tied up the last of the laces on his boots, dashing down-stairs, out the door, and beginning a fast paced sprint down the familiar path.

'_How did I manage to sleep in late!? My alarm was set, and went off this morning. Not to mention I automatically wake up at dawn, anyway! I didn't even go to bed late last night!'_

A minute or two passed, and he arrived at the front of the lab to see Gary Oak walking out smugly, a Pokéball sitting firmly in his hand.

"Well, well, well. What took you so long, Ashy-boy? Though I suppose it was inevitable, you coming last." He sneered. "I already got my Pokémon! And don't bother asking what it is, I wouldn't show it to a loser like you."

"You got a Squirtle." The raven-haired boy dead-panned. _'Professor Oak mentioned on more than one occasion how much you talked about it.'_

Gary grumbled in response, before turning to the crowd in front of him. "Well, with this Pokémon, I, Gary Oak, will become the greatest Pokémon Master to ever live! Farewell!" The crowd cheered, the cheerleaders doing another short routine, and the person sitting in the driver's seat of the expensive red car started in up, Gary hopping over the sides and sitting in the back.

Not staying to watch the car and crowd leave, Ash walked up the stairs to the door, letting himself in and making his way to the main lab.

"Professor Oak?" He his voice rang out.

"Ash! I was wondering when you were going to show up. It's not like you to be late." The man arrived, a puzzled look on his face.

"Sorry, Professor. I somehow managed to sleep in- so far, no explanation has come to mind. All of the starters have been taken, haven't they?" He sighed.

"Sadly, yes. Gary just took the last one. The extras of this month have been taken, also. I'm afraid there's just no Pokémon that are available- unless, of course, one of your friends chooses to join you. I would be more than happy to transfer Aaron to your care if he agrees with it."

Ash shook his head. "I couldn't do that. Those Pokémon are all happy at the ranch, and they'd be doing it for me, not for themselves. Besides, Remy still belongs to that other trainer, and I'd be splitting them all apart by taking one of them, since Remy couldn't join me as well."

"You might have to wait until next month, then. I should have more starters then, but you'd have to post-pone your journe-" He was cut off by a worn out assistant running into the room, holding a Pokéball in his hand.

"I've brought the Pokémon that you asked for, Professor."

"Ah, yes. I'm guessing that it didn't cooperate, unfortunately…" Oak sighed.

"What Pokémon is that, Professor?"

"In this Pokéball is a Pikachu. He's a very strong one, and was found chewing on the wires out at the generator. We managed to catch him, but he keeps electrocuting anyone who tries to approach, and avoids returning to the Pokéball as much as possible. I was hoping to spend some time with him today, and figure out why he feels the need to cause so much trouble…" He hummed in contemplation. "But perhaps… Ash, you've been preparing for your Pokémon journey for a very long time, and seem to have a natural talent at Pokémon interaction. If you're up to it, you could take this Pokémon with you as your starter."

Ash mulled over the idea for a moment, thinking about how this could turn out. _'If I take the Pokémon, he probably wouldn't listen to me at the beginning. I would need figure out exactly what his problem is, and then work to help him. I wouldn't be able to catch Pokémon until I had Pikachu's trust, but… I shouldn't be thinking so much about this. Pikachu may be aggressive, angry, and possibly dangerous, but over-all he's a Pokémon that probably just needs a little help and someone he can trust. Of course I'm going to accept this.'_

"I'll take him, Professor." He then took the Pokéball out of the man's awaiting hand, looking down warmly at the sphere. _'This is probably going to be a rocky start, but somehow I get the feeling that one day, you and I will be great friends.'_

"So, are you going to open it, Ash?" Oak questioned.

The boy shook his head. "I'll wait until I get to route one. Nobody will be around, then. Nobody besides me who could get shocked. Besides, do you really want a trouble making electric type around all of this expensive equipment?" Ash raised an eyebrow, as Professor Oak paled at the mere thought.

After a moment, Ash clipped the ball to a spot on his belt, and turned to the man. "I'm going to go back out and say goodbye to my friends."

When he reached the grassy plain, he was greeted by an awaiting group of mismatched creatures, all of them looking to him with a mixture of sadness and happiness. Happy that their friend was beginning the journey he'd been waiting for most of his life.

Sad that he had to leave.

"Don't look at me like that guys, you know I'll be back. And I'm sure that you'll find a way into any video calls I make, and I'll be able to talk to you that way!" He said, trying to cheer them up, but tears were gathering in his eyes.

Rico started bawling dramatically, clutching his chest as if he was dying. Dora was trying to act tough, but a few tears had already slipped down her cheeks. Doran was crying silently, and Cara had already flown over to Ash and embraced him in a winged hug. Aaron was tearing up, but smiling at his friend. Sento and Pangoro were grinning, knowing that they'd see Ash soon enough, and Remy looked out-right depressed.

His smile wavering, Ash fell to his knees and the rest of the Pokémon, excluding the two fighting types, ran over and joined Cara in their hug, nuzzling him and chittering their goodbyes.

"I'll make sure I call at every town and city I reach, and I'll make sure to catch some new friends for our family, okay? Just don't tell them anything too embarrassing, guys…I'm going to miss you all, but I promise I'll be back. For you guys, my family, I'll always come back…" He promised. Looking up at them, he gave a confident smile. "I've got to head off, now, guys. Time to work towards becoming a Pokémon Master."

* * *

Reaching the front of the lab, Professor Oak and Lyle behind him, Ash smiled at the sight of his mother standing there with his bag in front of her, ready to go.

"Oh, Ash… You grew up so fast… Just remember, you'll always be my baby boy, okay?"

Ash hugged his mum, taking in the scent of home one last time. "Always, mum."

"So what Pokémon did you get, honey?" She asked.

"A Pikachu, but I should wait until I'm a little more isolated before I let him out. He's a bit of a trouble maker, apparently."

Delia chuckled. "I should have known that you wouldn't end up with something simple, Ash. I've got your bag here, which I double checked to make sure you have everything. You've got enough food for five days, so you should be fine until you reach Viridian city. Make sure you call, okay?" She said sternly.

"Got it, mum. I've got to go, time to begin on my journey."

"Don't fail too bad, kiddo. I'll have to come after you if you do." Lyle joked.

"Don't count on it, Lyle."

* * *

With Pallet town a fair distance behind him, Ash stood on top of the hill at the beginning of route one. Pokéball in hand, he set his bag down under a tree, and mentally recounted everything he knew about Pikachu.

'…_The evolution of Pichu, they store electricity in the sacs on their cheeks, catch lighting with their tails during storms…'_

Feeling confident, Ash threw the Pokéball out into the air in front of him, catching the sphere as it returned. The energy that the ball had released quickly morphed into a small yellow mouse Pokémon, who shook his head in apparent dizziness before blinking open his eyes.

Looking around his environment with suspicion, Pikachu's gaze quickly landed on Ash.

"Pika?" He asked cutely.

Ash considered picking the adorable rodent up for a moment, but decided not to in favour of remaining un-cooked. That was probably the idea, though.

"Pikachu, my name's Ash. Professor Oak gave you to me as a starter Pokémon, though I believe he mentioned something about you being a bit…trouble-some."

Pikachu narrowed his eyes at the trainer, his cheeks sparking. First of all, he'd been caught by an old man, and now he was stuck with some newbie trainer? He was doing perfectly fine in the wild.

"I know that you probably don't want me as a trainer, or any trainer all, but could you please give me a chance? My Pokémon journey is something I've been waiting a long time for, and I'd really like it if you could just work with me, at least a little bit."

The Pokémon just turned his head, and then ran up to lounge in the tree the bag was resting on.

'_This is going to be tough. I can't move on without Pikachu working with me, but I don't want to stay here forever, either. First step first… Getting Pikachu down from that tree.'_

Ash casually walked over to sit next to his bag, relaxing back against the tree and looking out over the area he was currently in. It was a large clearing, grass, both long and short, covered the ground along-side some dry dirt. Trees lined the edge, a few large ones dotted across the middle. Pidgey and Spearow pecked at the ground in hopes of finding food.

Seeing a Spearow getting rather close to him, he tensed. Some wild Pokémon were either jealous or repulsed by trained Pokémon, and tended to attack them on sight. If a Spearow decided to attack Pikachu, Ash had no doubts that the electric mouse would be able to take the bird down in a single attack, but he knew that there was a problem with that.

Spearow travelled in flocks, and would happily retaliate if one of their own were taken down. Pikachu wouldn't have any problem with a single avian, but an entire flock would easily wear him out… And because Pikachu wouldn't likely return to the Pokéball, or listen to him and not attack… Ash could be in trouble.

Actually, Ash was _definitely _in trouble.

Because the Spearow had just seen the yellow mouse, and was glaring at him with a dark glint in it's eyes.

"Spear!"

"Pika!"

A flurry of feathers, a flash of light, and Ash already had his bag on and Pikachu in his arms, the caw of at least twenty Spearow sounding behind him.

Running, running, running. The chase had begun.

He kept sprinting at full speed, his breath starting to come out in shorter puffs of air.

He dived from the cliff and into the river without a second thought, willing to chance the Pokémon in the water rather than the ones in the air.

A Gyrados swam nearby, Magikarp and Goldeen gliding through the currents. Struggling for air, he kicked his feet powerfully and rose closer to the surface, before a tug on his collar added to his efforts and he soon found himself on cold rocks.

"Oh my gosh! Why were you in the river!?" a feminine voice exclaimed.

Coughing up a bit of water, Ash quickly gave Pikachu a short once-over and then looked up, ignoring the girl for a moment as he checked for any signs of the Spearow. Seeing the flock in the distance, he forced himself to his feet.

"No time to explain, I have to get away!" Seeing a bike nearby, Ash got an idea. "I need to borrow your bike, but I'm not sure I can guarantee its return." Receiving a confused nod, having seen the distress on the boy's face and the state of the Pokémon, she agreed. "Find somewhere to hide, and then go to Viridian city. I'll try and have your bike there. Meet me at the Pokémon Centre."

"Wait, why do I need to hide!?" She asked frantically, as Ash got up and walked over to the bike, placing Pikachu in the basket and hopping on.

"The Spearow!"

Wasting no more time, Ash pushed off the tree and rolled down the slope, pedalling with all his power. Giving another glance down at the Pokémon in his care, and seeing that he was mostly just disoriented, he pushed harder on the petals, propelling the bike forward.

Clouds rumbling and Spearows cawed over-head, rain beginning to pound down onto the ground and turn the dirt to mud. Ash tiredly pressed on, moving at about the same speed as the flock. He looked back for a moment, but that cost him as when he looked back, he had to swerve to avoid crashing into a rock. The tires lost traction on the soaked pathway, the bike skidding sideways and throwing its passengers into the ground.

Ash winced and rocks dug in through his clothing, water soaking right through the jacket and into his skin, the freezing temperature causing Ash to shiver. He looked up at his companion, who seemed a bit beat up as well, having been slightly dis-oriented and un-able to right himself when he fell.

The new trainer pushed himself to his knees, turning to look over his shoulder. The Spearow were watching down on the pair with dangerous intent. They remained in one place, knowing their prey couldn't move, let alone out-run them.

"Pikachu…" Ash panted quietly. "You don't like your Pokéball, do you?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "It's fine, I know that there are plenty of Pokémon who don't like going in Pokéballs. Some of my family hate it…I should tell you about my family- though, it's your family, too, now…"

Pikachu's eyes widened. A family… He couldn't remember having a real family… Horror washed over the electric mouse as he realised what his trainer was doing.

'_Ash, don't do this…' _"Pika…"

Ash smiled grimly. _'For Pikachu, I have to do this. For my family…'_

Pikachu had seen that Ash was leaning over him, his body acting as a shield. _'But if we're family then…'_

Ash closed his eyes as the sound of wings beating against the air became louder. His body tensed.

Pikachu narrowed his eyes, forcing himself to his feet. His body tensed.

When the Spearow came down on them, their thoughts were one and the same.

'_**I have to protect him!'**_

"Pika!"

"Spear!"

The thunder rolled, lightning clashed. Pikachu jumped up, using his trainer's back as a spring-board. The boy rapidly stood and turned around, watching in astonishment as the creature went soaring up to the Spearow that dove in towards them. As electricity flashed across the sky, the mouse raised his tail, which acted as a lightning rod.

"Pikaaaa CHUUUUUUUUU!"

* * *

It would be half an hour later when the rain cleared up, giving sunlight a clear pathway to shine down on the exhausted forms of a boy and his electric friend. The brightness prompted the duo to awaken, two sets of eye blinking open tiredly to take in their surroundings.

Pushing himself up, Ash looked around the clearing, where several unconscious bodies of the bird Pokémon, Spearow, lay. Over in one corner was the burnt and slightly melted remains of the girl's bike, and right next to him was the slowly awakening Pikachu.

"Pi…" The little mouse groaned.

"Hey, Pikachu. We beat 'em." He smiled.

Pikachu nodded. He tried to get up again, but the aching in his muscles forced him to stay down.

"Don't move, buddy. Don't move." Ash carefully ran his hands over Pikachu's body, this time using the peace to thoroughly examine the damage, ignoring, the pain in his own limbs.

The tips of Pikachu's fur were slightly burnt, their natural protection to electricity not enough to defend against the initial contact he'd made with the lightning. A few minor cuts were present where sharp rocks had cut in, and his fur was soaked to the roots from the rain.

At first Ash had come to the conclusion that Pikachu was mostly okay, but when the mouse started blinking his eyes as if they wouldn't stay open, shaking his head in attempt to dispel tiredness, Ash's throat tightened.

"Pikachu, I need you to try and generate just a little bit of electricity around your cheeks, okay? No further than that, just your cheeks." He couldn't risk losing any more energy than he already had.

"Pi…" A few sparks came to life around the red electricity sacs, but they soon sputtered out, nothing left. "Kaaaa…." Pikachu's eyes had become sad, his long ears flopping down.

Taking a breath to steady himself, Ash, gingerly picked his new friend off the ground, before grabbing and empty Pokéball and making his way over the most damaged Spearow that was lying in the dirt, swiftly capturing it and clipping the ball to his belt.

There was no time to celebrate his first capture; if these two Pokémon didn't make it to the Pokécenter soon, they were in serious risk of losing their lives. He scanned over the clearing once more, checking for any more severely injured Spearow, and finding none, he was about to take off in the approximate direction of Viridian city.

Until something floated directly in front of his face. Reaching out with one arm, he caught it, confusion and awe taking over as he looked down upon the red, white, and green feather resting within his palm. Looking up for a moment, an amazing sight took place.

A white, gold, red, and green bird Pokémon moved through the sky slowly, moving forward with deliberate, powerful thrusts of it's large wings. It seemed to glow, energy of all colours drifting behind it in sparkles.

Ho-oh.

Feeling invigorated, Ash set off dawn the path at a swift journey, determination filling him.

* * *

He was jogging now, moving as fast as he could without making the passenger within his arms too uncomfortable. The Pikachu's state had worsened, and he'd fallen unconscious a few minutes ago. Ash'd been moving through the entire night, and it was now the next day.

A police station came into view, an Officer Jenny sitting out front.

"Officer Jenny!" He called out, gaining the bluenette's attention.

"Huh?" After a short moment of processing, the police officer narrowed her eyes in part confusion, part suspicion. "What's going on here?" She demanded.

Puffing slightly, Ash stopped in front of her. "My Pokémon are badly hurt, if they don't get to a Pokémon Centre soon, Pikachu could go into a coma, possibly even worse."

Expression softening, she replied. "Okay, I can get you there, but I'll need to see some identification first."

Nodding, the boy freed one of his arms and used it to open one of the pockets on the front of his jacket. Inside it was his Pokédex, a sleek black and gold model. He opened it and handed the device to Jenny.

"**This is a prototype Pokédex, programmed by Professor Oak for Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. It serves as a phone, identification, encyclopaedia, map and GPS." **Rang the digital voice. **"Ash Ketchum began his Pokémon journey at age ten, one day ago, on the 12/5/2013. He has completed one third of the training necessary for an official Pokémon League recognised Pokémon Researcher, under the training of Professor Samuel Oak." **A beep signalled the Pokédex's finish.

Ash mentally nodded. _'Yep, that sounds about right. Wait-' _Having been so tired, it took him a moment to process all of the information. _'A third of the training? But it wasn't anything official… I suppose I'll have to ask him then…'_

"Alright, everything checks out here. I'll go get the bike, wait here."

It only took a minute until Ash heard the sound of an engine starting up, and a motor bike with a side-cart quickly rolled in front of him, Officer Jenny riding it.

"Hop on!"

Doing so, the woman started heading for the city at a fast pace, concentration on her features. The city was huge, and the sunset that had previously been in place had made way for the night.

A large dome building came up into view, a large Pokéball symbol of the front. As they kept getting closer, Ash wondered if she was planning to go straight through the sliding doors. Luckily, they didn't, the bike halting just in front of them.

Wasting no time, Ash jumped out and ran inside, the doors sliding open for him. He passed the red-head girl from before, and went straight up to the front desk. A lady with pink hair and nurse's clothing was behind the counter.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémo- Oh my! Quick, I need a stretcher for a small electric mouse, stat. And-" She was cut off.

"And a Spearow, as well" Ash stated gravely as he pulled out the Pokéball.

Nurse Joy took the Pokéball, before continuing. "And a stretcher for a small bird Pokémon. Please bring some basic medical supplies to the main waiting room."

Officer Jenny had walked in as well, and was watching over the events alongside a girl with short red/orange hair.

Pikachu was carefully placed onto one of the stretchers, and Spearow was released onto the other. The Chansy that had brought in the stretchers wheeled them through a hall way, the swinging doors obscuring them from sight. A third Chansy handed some bandages, cream, and wipes to the nurse, before following the others.

"Now you, young man, are going to sit down with I deal with your injuries. And you are also going to explain exactly what happened to you and those Pokémon." She said sternly.

Finally realising how messed up he must have looked, Ash agreed and allowed her to push him over to the seats.

Wincing at the sting of antiseptic, Ash began to recount the events of the last two days.

"Pikachu is my starter Pokémon, given to me because Professor Oak believed that I'd be the best person to manage his aggressive attitude…I'm not so sure that he was right… A Spearow noticed Pikachu and attacked him, and because Pikachu wouldn't listen to me and not retaliate, and he wouldn't return to his Pokéball, I couldn't stop what happened. Pikachu used thundershock, and then Spearow called it's flock to attack us. We managed to get away for a little while, but in the end we were cornered. I was going to shield Pikachu from them, but he must have felt some need to protect me… He used his lighting rod ability to attract the lighting that the storm had generated, and then took out the flock. The lightning overcharged him and then when he attacked, he lost most of his own electricity, as well. I caught the Spearow that was in need of help the most- the others should recover fine on their own- and brought them both here as fast as I could."

Nurse Joy sighed as she finished cleaning a cut. "Well, it sounds like you did all that you could, and it was good thinking that you caught the Spearow." She praised. "You obviously care a lot about your Pokémon, and it's understandable that there are times when things just go wrong. But it also seems like you forgot about caring for yourself, too. Next time, you have to be more careful."

Ash didn't reply directly to what he said. "So how do you think they're going to be?" He asked.

"Pikachu and Spearow should be just fine. I'm going to go help the Chansy with them once I've finished here. They're going to need a few days of recovery, though, before they can start travelling and battling again."

Ash nodded, watching as the Nurse finished up and walked away. The Officer had already left, needing to return to her post. Ash shifted a bit and took his bag off (he'd been leaning back against it), setting it beside him. He sat forward and rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Hey." He heard a feminine voice beside him.

Turning to look, he saw the girl who owned the bike that he'd borrowed…and fried.

"Sorry about your bike…" He mumbled, eyes slipping closed slightly, before he shook himself awake.

"Yeah, I saw it… It's fine, though. It sounds like you really needed it. Things might have been worse if you didn't take it." She smiled a bit. "You really went far for Pikachu."

"The moment I accepted that Pokéball, he became family; I'll never abandon family." _'Not like dad did.'_

The girl nodded. "Yeah, family might be annoying sometimes, but it's important."

Ash's eyes snapped up. "I have something to do, I'll be right back."

Walking over to the video phone booths, Ash typed in the number for his house phone and waited.

"Hello, this is the Ketchum residence."

"Hey mum, it's me. I'm calling from Viridian City."

"Oh, hi honey! Hold on a moment…" Soon his mother's face appeared of the screen. "Ash! You got there pretty quickly- You're all scuffed up! What happened?" She worried.

"It's fine mum. Pikachu and I just had a little bit of a rocky start, and a run in with some Spearow, but we're going to be fine."

"Going to be? Ash, where is Pikachu?"

He gulped. "In the critical care unit, along with a Spearow I captured. Nurse Joy said that they're going to be fine, but I'm still worried." I admitted.

"Ash, I'm confident that you did the absolute best that you could. And you have another Pokémon, right? You should at least let yourself celebrate that a little- it's another new friend!" She said cheerfully.

"Yeah mum, you're right. I'm going to call Professor Oak now, I'll talk to you when I reach Pewter City!"

"Okay Ash, bye!"

"Bye mum."

Closing the call, he typed in another number and called, waiting for someone on the other end to pick up.

"Good evening, this is Professor Oak's best lab assistant speaking, how may I help you?"

Ash smirked at the familiar voice, and decided to mess with the person a little bit.

"Hey Henry, how are you?"

The blue 'audio only' screen immediately disappeared, to be replaced by a Lyle who had his face right in the screen.

"Henry!? Who are you calling Henry, kid!?" He exclaimed.

Ash laughed, knowing that he'd gotten under the man's skin by 'mistaking' him for his 'rival'. Really, it was completely one-sided, but Lyle never seemed to care.

"Hey Lyle, how's it been without me?"

Calming down, the dirty-blonde haired man sat back, giving Ash a view of the office.

"Pretty cool, kid. Awesome without having to deal with you around." He smirked.

"That goes both ways. Where's the Professor?"

"Giving the Pokémon some dinner with the other assistants. I've been put on office duty, something about the Pokémon getting revenge… Speaking of that, it looks like you went a round or two against an Emboar. Care to share?"

Ash winced, before answering. "It involves a Spearow messing with Pikachu, Pikachu messing with the Spearow, running for our lives, and then Pikachu deciding that a lightning bolt would make a fine recharge station… I caught one of the Spearow, though." He said plainly.

"Huh, sounds fun. The Professor of Oak has entered the room, so I'll scram and leave you two to have your chat. Later!" With a lazy wave, Lyle heaved himself out of the comfy chair and walked off screen.

After a moment of barely audible talking in the background, Professor Oak appeared on screen.

"Hello Ash! God to see you made it in one piece; I heard that you caught a Spearow…"

"Well, now I'm upset I didn't take Gary up on that bet..."

Ash had recounted the details from the last two days to his mentor, and was about to say goodbye when he remembered a couple of things.

"Hey, Professor. My Pokédex says that I've completed some of the training necessary to be officially recognised by the Pokémon League as a Pokémon Researcher. None of the training was official, though, was it?" He asked, confused.

"Actually, Ash, soon after you begun learning at the lab, your mother and I decided that it might be beneficial for you to have some sort of recognition as a Pokémon Researcher, as well. We both see how much you care about Pokémon, and the rate at which you learn is astounding. I'm sure there'll be plenty of times that such recognition will assist you- I've allowed for your training to be officially continued as you journey."

Ash frowned. "But Professor, you know that I want to focus on my Pokémon journey, I'm not sure that I'll be able to continue the training as well."

The man chuckled. "Don't worry Ash, you don't have to do anything special. Just make sure you contact me at every city you reach to keep me updated on your learnings and understandings, and eventually, once you meet Mr. Goodshow and prove that you deserve it, you'll be fully recognised. Just keep doing your best at everything, okay?"

"Got it Professor. One more thing… You won't believe what Pokémon I saw on the way here."

"Oh?"

Lowering his voice, Ash said his words in an excited voice. "Ho-oh."

Professor Oak's eyes widened as much as they physically could. "Ash, are you saying you saw _the Ho-oh!?"_

With a nod, Ash confirmed his words. He opened one of the pouches on the front of his jacket, pulling out a small feather just enough so it was visible.

"Keep that safe, Ash. There are many people who would go to drastic measures to get their hands on that."

"I know, Professor. I should go now, see-ya."

"Bye, Ash."

Closing the call, the black haired ten-year-old stood up and stretched out his back, feeling the bones creak slightly after being immobile for so long.

Walking back over to his bag and the girl- who was lightly dozing, the hunger that Ash had been ignoring for the past day came back, and he opened his bag to get out a sandwich, devouring it within seconds. Deciding on eating a second one, he ate this more slowly.

In the middle of eating his meal, the girl next to him stirred, prompting him to look in her direction. Now that he thought about it, she looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where exactly.

"Ugh…what time is it?" She groaned.

"8:30. You didn't have to stay, you know."

"I just wanted to make sure those Pokémon were okay. Besides, I probably would have ended up staying anyways." She yawned. "Nurse Joy gave me a room earlier. I'm going to go to bed now." Standing up, she paused. "I never introduced myself. My name's Misty Waterflower."

Ash suddenly clicked his fingers. "_That's _where I've seen you before. In the official Kanto Gym Challenge handbook! You're a gym leader, from Cerulean, right?" He asked.

Blinking, Misty replied "Erm, yeah, I am. I'm in a handbook?"

Ash nodded, digging through his bag with his free hand. "Yeah, just hold on a moment…" He brought his hand back out, a small, thin book in his grip. He had it on his knees, as he tried to flip through a couple of pages single handed. Eventually, he succeeded, and it showed four different pictures of different girls, Misty being one of them.

"Oh, I see." Mist said, looking at the page he showed her.

"So what brings you out near Pallet?" He asked.

"Oh, erm…" She stumbled over her words for a moment. "Just looking for some new water Pokémon, I guess." She shrugged. "Pallet. Is that where you're from?" She asked, changing the topic.

"Yes. I just left this morning. I haven't introduced myself ether- my name's Ash Ketchum." He help out his empty hand for a handshake, which was received.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ash. I'm going to go to bed now, see you tomorrow!"

"Goonight."

Within the next half an hour, Ash mostly just alternated between sitting down and pacing. He was too tired and worried to focus on anything, and he wasn't going to go to sleep until he could see for himself that his Pokémon were okay.

"Ash Ketchum?"

He was startled by the sudden noise, the waiting room having been silent since Misty left.

"Nurse Joy! Are they okay?" he asked hurriedly.

The pink-haired woman smiled. "Your Pokémon are in a recovery room, and you could visit them if you wanted. But then you have to go straight to bed." She finished sternly.

Ash nodded, just wanting to go see the two creatures. He had started walking, when-

"Ekans!"

"Koffing!"

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

* * *

**So there's the first real chapter, a bit longer than I originally thought it was going to be.**

**I didn't change the events that led up to his arrival in Viridian City, but I did alter the details, especialy where the Spearow flock all attack during the rain.**

**Yeah, no epic Ash standing up in front of them, declaring that he was going to be a Pokémon Master, defeat and catch them all, ect. ect. I just couldn't see this version of him doing that; he knows that Pikachu wouldn't go in the Pokéball, so he'd actually need to shield him better. He wants to be the greatest, but he knows that it would be arrogant to just shout it out to everyone, especially since he knows how much work it's going to be. And he also knows that the Spearow wouldn't just stop at attacking him, and would then go for Pikachu, so he should do the least he can and try and distract the little mouse. **

**No bashing from Misty or Nurse Joy, because I really hate how they just attack him without letting him really explain. **

**Note to all; there will be no Pokéshipping.**

**Just putting that out there.**

**Future chapters will probably be around 4,000 words, and move on a little faster than this one did. I'll be summarising the episodes that weren't important or didn't change much, but I will go into detail with the ones that contain major changes and events.**

**So Ash caught a Spearow- allow me to introduce my little 'In your face, Gary' moment.**

**I'll be working on some drawings of different scenes from the story when I get he chance, like Ash playing with Mew, Ash and his Pokémon friends, Lyle, ect. ect. Is there anything in specific (from this story) that you guys want to see?**

**Hope you enjoyed, tell me what you think, what I should improve, and acknowledge in advance that I am aware that there are most likely a lot of mistakes in this- I don't really have much time to thoroughly read the entire thing through, so my editing involves a quick run through with spell check and fixing my mistakes as I go along.**

**Cheers!**


	3. Chapter Two- Onwards They Go!

**AN: Hello!**

**I know I haven't updated in a little while, and while I'm not exactly happy with myself about that, I haven't a single reasonable excuse.**

**Hence, this chapter is shorter at a little over 4.000 words, but I wanted to get something out to you guys as an apology and late christmas present. **

**Thanks to kadesh2501, Lightning-Squall, Uranium235, dragondude2210, Flaming Silver, SoulC, Kalm1234, ****Amalgam24, skytower1189, Aegis Dragon, stars90, chica36, BlackLatios562, Anonymous, NY514, Lightningblade49, .master, GarionRiva, Eznorb, Xana100, and Great for all your reviews! **

**Q. Are you going to do all of the anime or are you going to skip parts, like fillers and such?**

**A. I'm going to skip everything that doesn't change too much, unless something important happens, and all the fillers. I want to get near the end of kanto as soon as possible, mainly because I have so many ideas for future regions. **

**Q. Uranium235 asked 'do we have to wait so long for the good stuff?' in reference to Aura and Psychic abilities. **

**A. Hmmm... I'll see what I can do about that.**

**Q. Is Team Rocket going to be any better?**

**A. No. The only thing in this that is changing is Ash and what he does. No one else will have any different Pokemon, or be any stronger. Just Ash.**

**Q. How long will the story go?**

**A. As long as I can make it without screwing it up. I might just do Kanto, and then every major adventure, as in each region, will be done in sequels. I know that I rarely touch a story if it has too many chapters when I first look at it. **

**Q. Will Ash capture Pidgeotto?**

**A. Ash will have every Pokemon he had originally and them some. No need to worry about Ash losing his canon captures here- for the most part. Refer to rest of AN.**

**A few other things I can't really do as a Q and A- Nicknames! I've decided to use them sparingly- pretty much just when necessary. And for Pikachu, as well. Release Spearow? Nope! Spearow happens to be a favourite of mine, for both looks and just general preference. Generally used instead of Pidgey in my games. To 'Great'... (Spoiler alert, by the way!) You and I think alike! I think I made it clear that something messed with Ash and made him sleep in, though what exactly happened there will be revealed later. I wasn't going to do the 30 Tauros- Ash isn't likely to mess up that bad in this. He will catch more than one of a species on more than one occasion, but that many is just silly. Riolu, Absol, and Zoura are some of my favourites! I have plans for those guys, so you can look forward to seeing them!**

**Now, as far as Pokemon encountered, moves learnt, and generally how the Pokemon world will work in this story is not strictly to the games, nor necessarily the anime. In a forest, there will be Pokemon that you are likely to find in a forest. In Kanto, some Johto Pokemon might be found. A Pokemon could learn a move, with extremely difficult training, that is normally 100% impossible for them to learn. The order they learn attacks might be switched around, once again due to training. SOme things that are definite in this world is A. there is no such thing as levels. One Pokemon could be considered stronger than the other, but there's no numbers to it. Moves normally taught via TM are instead taught through special training as there are no TMs in this. Just a heads up incase you see something that doesn't look quite right.**

**Onwards, to the story!  
**

**I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

"_Okay Ash, so what would be the most efficient combination of moves to us-" __**Ring Ring. **__"Hold on a moment… This is Professor Oak speaking."_

_They'd been going over move combinations for a little while when Professor Oak was interrupted by a phone call. Sitting nearby, Ash had managed to hear some of it, words that brought countless questions to mind._

"…"

"_Team Rocket? No, I haven't seen them anywhere near here."_

"…"

"_Yes, I understand. I will make sure to do so. Have you found out the identity of their leader yet?"_

"…"

"_A pity. Very well, I have to return to what I was doing now, thank you for letting me know, Officer Jenny."_

_After hanging up, the man had been about to return to what he was saying, when a inquisitive eight, near nine, year-old had started questioning his mentor about the conversation he'd just had._

"_Who is Team Rocket?"_

"_An evil criminal organisation that steals and uses powerful Pokémon for their own selfish needs."_

"_Why was Officer Jenny talking to you about them?"_

"_A few members were caught in Viridian City, she was letting me know about them so I could keep a close eye on the Pokémon here."_

"_And no one knows who the boss is?"_

"_We've tried interrogating all the members we've captured, but anyone who is high up enough to know is also well trained in keeping quiet."_

"_And they steal and hurt Pokémon?"_

"_Yes, they do-"_

"_I want to stop them."_

"_Pardon?"_

"_Pokémon are my friends. I don't want anybody hurting my friends, and it would be my duty as their friend to help them. One day, I want to stop Team Rocket."_

* * *

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

Ash grit his teeth, glaring straight through the smog to where he guessed that the people were.

A moment of silence later, and a trio was revealed- a man and a woman, with long magenta and jaw-length lavender hair respectively, and a cream coloured feline who stood up on it's- his, hind legs.

The raven haired boy observed the new arrivals with a critical eye. They wore white uniforms, no hat, and only had the Koffing and Ekans with them- which, while they seemed to be loved and somewhat cared for, looked obviously un-trained, judging by the size of the two, as well as the gasses being emitted by the floating spherical creature.

So, Ash concluded that these were nothing but a few low-level lackeys- probably just used as expendables. He sort of pitied them.

"Who are you people and what do you want!?" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

"Straight to the point, I see. We are Team Rocket, and we're here to steal rare and valuable Pokémon!" The woman- Jessie, stated proudly.

Ash scoffed. "I highly doubt that you are the entirety of a large criminal organisation of which the boss is yet unknown. If I had to guess, then I'd say you guys are just a couple of grunts."

"Grunts!? How dare you! We are very important members of Team Rocket, and we will not be talked down upon by some snot-nosed brat!" The man exclaimed.

"Yeah, now no more chit-chat, we're here for the Pokémon, so hand 'em over!" The… Meowth… sneered…

'_A talking Meowth? That's…interesting…But I need to get them out of the building, there are some sleeping trainers and injured Pokémon here. Pikachu and Spearow are out of it- And I can't chase these goons out. I doubt I'd have much luck using some of the other Pokémon here, either. I need to improvise.' _Ash thought.

"Well it's no use, this is a place for sick and injured Pokémon!" Nurse Joy shouted.

"Oh, I'm sure that there'll be some jewels among all the trash, get them, Eka- Hey! Get back here!"

Gripping one of his customised Pokéballs securely, Ash ran at a medium pace out of the PokéCentre doors. He'd guessed that the trio weren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed, and he'd been right. They ran out after him, believing that he was running to protect a valuable or rare creature.

He was impressed, somewhat, by their stamina and persistence- he'd being going at what he considered a light pace, throughout the entire city, and they had kept up with him, for the most part. Their Pokémon were following behind them, looking slightly worn out.

On the way, he was thinking about the best way to take them out without Pokémon. He could probably deal with the humans easily, and possibly the Meowth (though he was wary of the claws). The other two would likely flee if their trainers were taken down, but before that, the main problem would be Koffing's smog- he can't see or breath through the gasses-, though if his trainer was occupied, then Ash had a feeling that Koffing wouldn't attack without his trainers command.

Reaching the out-skirts of the city, Ash stopped just before the forest began, his pursuers halting a couple of meters behind him.

"Now we've got you! Hand over the Pokémon, kid." The Meowth said, in what he guessed was supposed to be a threatening manner.

He smirked. "Oh, I might have, if all my Pokémon weren't back at the Pokémon centre."

As if suddenly realising where they were, the three looked around wildly.

"The brat tricked us!"

"You'll pay for that, twerp!"

They started going for him, but being worn out and generally less fitter than the ten-year-old, not to mention they were greatly lacking in any martial arts training, their movements were slow and un-controlled, making Ash internally laugh.

James and his Pokémon ran for him first, the two going for a double 'tackle attack', but the boy just slipped under the floating ball of gas and kicked the man behind the knees. He was attacked from the side by Jessie and her Ekans, the snake attempting to constrict his body and the woman going for a clumsy punch that seemed to somehow contain sharp nails. Avoiding both attacks, he did a low sweep on the woman, sending her to the ground.

The man got back up soon after, coming at him with slight pain in his step. Ash kneed the lavender-haired thief in the stomach, bringing him down painfully.

He turned to the Meowth, who stood on his hind legs, claws out.

"Don't think I'm going to be taken down so easily! Come at me!" The feline crowed.

Ash sighed. He really didn't want to hurt him- he was a Pokémon after-all. But he obviously chose to do bad deeds without the need of a trainer to make him do so.

He nabbed a rock up off the ground, quickly lobbing it at the Meowth. It hit hard on the coin on his head, bringing forth a bout of dizziness for the scratch cat Pokémon.

While the creature shook his head wildly, Ash moved forward with fast strides, knocking the Pokémon unconscious with one last hit to the head. He looked to the Ekans and Koffing, raising an eyebrow.

"Ek…"

"Koff…"

"EKANS!/KOFFING!" They shouted together, grabbing their trainers and Meowth, before rushing into the forest with surprising speed and strength.

While Ash had hoped to have them taken into the police, he was mostly just glad that they wouldn't be disturbing the PokéCentre any time soon.

The rumbling of an engine made itself heard behind him, and he turned to see Officer Jenny in her motorbike.

"Where did they go?"

"I took them down, but they managed to escape in the end. At least they won't be causing any trouble for anyone until they recover."

* * *

Having been taken back to the PokéCentre, courtesy of the Officer, Ash yawned with exhaustion, the time being very late, along with the amount of running around he'd been doing the last day, finally letting itself known in the form of his body nearly collapsing.

"You, young man, are going to bed right this instant." The pink-haired nurse declared.

"But what about my-"

Her eyes softened. "Your Pokémon are asleep right now, like you should be. They're sure to understand why you waited until morning to check on them."

With a nod of defeat, Ash allowed himself to be led to a room by one of the Chansy.

* * *

It wasn't until eight o-clock that the trainer awoke from his slumber, and after a minute or two of stretching, he began to go about, having a shower and getting dressed into a now clean out-fit, a thanks from the nurse for protecting the Pokémon centre.

* * *

Eyes blinked open in a painful manner, taking in nothing but a blur of yellow, light blue, and white to begin with. The eyes closed again, waiting a moment, before opening a second time, the surroundings coming into clear the focus common for a bird.

Across from him was a bed, and on that bed…a Pikachu. The Pikachu wore a few small bandages, and was sleeping peacefully under a couple of sheets.

He remembered this Pikachu. He definitely remembered this Pikachu.

He tried to move, tried to attack the electric _rat_, but pain erupted all over his body, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Spear!"

* * *

Ash was nearing the room that his Pokémon were in, intending to visit them, when a pain-filled cry rang out.

"Spear!"

Rushing the last couple of steps, the trainer opened the door as quietly and quickly as possible, looking in to see a bird Pokémon shaking as pain shot through his body.

"Spearow!" He called out again.

The small mass of red, brown, and black feathers was thrashing about with fury, but at the same time convulsing in massive amounts of pain, having not fully recovered from the attacks it had endured.

Ash rushed over to the bedside without hesitation, only sparing a quick glance at the sleeping Pikachu, and placed his hands on the small body of the Spearow, pressing firmly enough to hold him down, but trying to avoid causing him any more pain. He earned a few scratches in the process, which he ignored, only intent on stopping the bird.

Once the Pokémon had calmed down enough- most likely too exhausted to move much more- Ash was on the receiving end of a sharp glare, Spearow's unhappiness more than obvious.

"If you want to keep putting yourself though that, then I'm going to have to tranquilize you. It's simple as that. Calm down, and let your injuries heal, or I'll drug you and strap you down." Ash honestly didn't want to do those things- the bird had every right to be angry, but if Spearow kept going on like he was, then he'd be even worse off than before.

Letting the feathered creature go, knowing that he wouldn't struggle now, Ash took the time to inspect Spearow, taking note of the burnt feathers, whist ignoring the dirty looks that he was receiving.

"Pika…."

A groan came from behind him, prompting the boy to look over at the awakening electric mouse. Pikachu was feeling much better, a nights rest and medicine healing most of his aching body, leaving only the occasional sharp pains that tore through his cheeks and tail.

"How are you feeling buddy?"

Slowly raising himself to his feet, Pikachu gave a smile and a light thumbs up. He then looked down, solemn.

"Pi…"

'_I'm sorry…'_

Ash suddenly knelt down, embracing his partner in a firm hug, wary of his tail. The small mouse started sobbing into his trainer's chest, letting out the stress from the attack and the guilt for ever thinking ill of Ash. He was a young Pokémon, and had the mindset of one. In truth, the past days' events had scared him. Being taken in by a stranger, the attack from the Spearow, nearing death…

"It's okay Pikachu. I'm not angry at you, and I won't abandon you. I'll do everything in my power so you don't get hurt again, too. You're family now, Pikachu. You don't have to be scared, but I won't think you weak for being so." Ash whispered to him, patiently waiting as the electric mouse's shuddering slowed down, and all that remained were a few sniffles.

Sitting back on his haunches, Ash looked at Pikachu with a gentle smile, rubbing his head comfortingly.

"Do you feel better now?"

The yellow creature once again smiled and nodded, before yawning widely and then blinking with heavy eyelids.

Ash chuckled. "Get some rest , Pikachu. When you're both fully healed after a couple of days we'll be able to set off again! Alright?"

"Pika!" he cheered.

Spearow could only stare at the white-clothed back of his…trainer, gaping slightly in confusion and shock.

Something about this boy…

* * *

Three days past, and the two Pokémon, Pikachu and Spearow, had made a full recovery. Spearow had seemed lost in thoughts every time Ash or anybody else had entered the room, looking down at the small perch he sat on during the day. Ash had decided to leave the bird to his thoughts, though, and knew that he probably had a lot going through his mind from the past days.

Pikachu and Ash had used the time to bond. Pikachu's new favourite spot was on Ash's shoulders, which the boy was perfectly fine with. When the electric mouse was resting, Ash spent his time reading over books, talking to his new friend- Misty- or even offering his assistance with helping other injured Pokémon.

Another three days later- despite the full recovery of the two Pokémon, Ash was still at the Viridian Pokémon Centre. Ash had decided to stay and train with Pikachu for a little while before heading off into the forest that served as the next step on his journey.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

In response to the call, the electric mouse sprang forward towards an already cracked rock, a trail of light gathering behind him as he ran at amazing speeds. Pikachu collided with the rock, then bounced back and landed on all fours. It took a second for it to happen, but the rock eventually fell apart.

"Great job, Pikachu. You managed to break the rock, which means it's time for us to move on. Come on, let's get you inside for some food and a drink, and I'll pack up all of our things. We'll head out as soon as we're done."

The yellow rodent was sweating heavily, panting with exhaustion. He collapsed onto the ground in relief, more than happy to use this break to his advantage.

When they had started training, it wasn't long until Pikachu found out that his trainer was one hell of a slave driver.

Pikachu's move set consisted of Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, and more recently, Quick Attack. According to the Pokédex, he also had a higher potential to learn Volt Tackle than most other Pikachu, a trait passed on from his parents. While it was possible for just about all Pikachu to learn the attack, it would be easier for him due to heritage.

The first thing Ash had done after checking the yellow creatures moves was speed training. Pikachu had expected battles for training, at the most, but what he found himself doing was running. Lots and lots of running. Of course, Ash had been joining in too, not one to sit back while another does all the work, so they found themselves pushing each other to the limits of speed via competitive spirit. Soon Pikachu was able to use the move Quick Attack with ease, learning it not long into the training.

He'd expected for them to move on from there, but once again that wasn't the case. Ash wanted to work on strength, and when he'd found a boulder he'd deemed suitable, he'd had Pikachu turn his attacks against it. At first Pikachu had found himself worn out and with a headache, barely a mark on the stone. Ash had shown the mouse to turn on his side ever so slightly when he collided with the rock, so he wasn't hitting it head on.

"_You're focusing energy into your speed, not into protecting your head. Unless you learn Headbutt, or something similar, you're going to get a sore head every time you do that. One day, you'll build up enough endurance and skill to collide with steel and not feel it too much, but for now this is your limit."_

It had been decided by his trainer that when Pikachu had broken the rock, they would continue travelling. At the beginning, the Pokémon had thought that nearly impossible, but seeing the boulder he's been attacking consistently for the past two day lying on the ground in pieces filled him with new pride and confidence. Ash had been doing his own strength training as well, keeping his fitness up, and using their shared breaks to jot down notes with no lack of excitement. Pikachu had tried to see what his trainer was doing, but Ash had just smiled and told him he'd see soon.

Pikachu was more than aware that he'd be doing this same training again, and soon, but instead of dread, he only felt even more pumped, determined to achieve the goal of breaking a rock in a single hit. And then going beyond that- achieving new heights of strength.

Sure, that was a while away, but like trainer like Pokémon, he was dreaming big. Ash wants to be the best when it comes to Pokémon? He'll have to be one of the best as a Pokémon.

Now, sitting in the Pokémon Centre after a great meal and a cool drink of water, Pikachu couldn't wait to get on the road.

And he knew that the best trainer he could have ever possibly had would be right there for him the whole time.

* * *

Throwing the last of his things in his bag, Ash then hoisted it over his shoulder, taking one more glance around the room to make sure he hadn't left anything behind. Seeing that he had everything, he left the room and made his way to the room where Spearow had been saying. The Pokémon had barely made a sound.

Walking into the room, he spotted the bird, perched as usual and looking down in deep thought. Ash was starting to worry.

For once, Spearow raised his head when his trainer entered the room. _'His trainer…' _

Ash looked at the feathered creature with a serious expression on his features.

"We have a lot to talk about, don't we? Don't worry about that now. I'm going to return you to the Pokéball for now. We'll figure things out once we get in to Viridian forest." Without receiving a response, the trainer lifted the red and white sphere and returned Spearow to it.

With the Pokéball secured on his belt, his bag on his back, and all the supplies he'd need to get through the forest, and entered the cafeteria area of the lobby and smiled at the sight of Pikachu curled up, sleeping on top of one of the tables, Nurse Joy quietly putting away the bowl he used for the food.

"Pikachu?" When the mouse didn't wake up, Ash chuckled slightly and closed the distance between him and the table. Gently picking the electric Pokémon up, he turned to Nurse Joy.

"Thankyou for helping my Pokémon, and letting us all stay here."

"It was a pleasure, and helping Pokémon and their trainers is what we do here. I wish you well on your journey, Ash Ketchum."

* * *

"Hey Ash! Wait up!" Just entering the forest, the raven haired trainer halted as he heard a familiar voice behind him. Pikachu sat perched on his shoulder, ears perking up as the duo heard the call.

"Misty! What are you doing here?" Ash responded.

Catching up to him, the red-head stopped to catch her breath for a moment, before straightening up. "Ash, I want to ask you something." When she received a nod, she continued. "Can I travel with you along your Pokémon journey?"

Ash blinked in surprise, not really expecting this.

"I know I'm a gym leader and all, but because my sisters are still there I'm allowed to travel."

Ash grinned happily. Misty had become a good friend over the last few days, and the idea of being able to hang out with her some more seemed great. And as far as his journey was considered, he thought the more the merrier.

"Of course! It'll be great to have some more company. In return I have a question to ask you. Why do you want to travel?"

A determined look crossed Misty's face.

"I'm going to become a Water Pokémon Master!"

* * *

"AAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Misty! It's just a Caterpie!"

"It's a bug!"

Ash sighed in exasperation. Misty had been squealing or screaming at every sign of a bug Pokémon. He already knew about her fear of them, but he really wished that the girl could tone it down a little bit. What was so scary about a little adorable Caterpie?

Ash smiled at the sight of the Pokémon. He had seen several of them around Professor Oak's lab, and couldn't help but think that they were cute. They weren't known for their strength, neither were their evolved forms, but he could see a little bit of determination and hard work going a long way for them. Butterfree was small, versatile, and capable of learning a range of status and psychic attacks. Their lack of brute strength could be overcome with good strategy, and they had the potential for great speed. They could also fly, giving them the ability to dodge anywhere into the air.

Ash calmly approached Caterpie, ignoring Misty's squeals in the background, and happily crouched down in front of it.

"Hey there, little guy. What are you doing here, all by yourself?" Ash questioned, placing a gloved hand upon the green Pokémon's head, rubbing it gently behind the antennas. The bug cooed at the touch leaning into it slightly. After a moment, it looked up at the trainer with big, questioning eyes. Ash knew that Caterpie and their evolutions tended to live in groups. This behaviour wasn't as common as it was with Weedle, but it was still common enough for someone to question the presence of a lone Caterpie.

Ash frowned. The little bug couldn't have been too old- or too strong. It either had to be from a group or recently born. Either way, it couldn't survive out here on it's own. He pondered over the facts in his head, trying to figure out the best course of action. After a moment he realised something. Butterfree mating season was going to start reasonably soon, and most of the Butterfree could be making their way up to the coast somewhere up near Saffron city. There wouldn't be any flocks in his area at the moment. Ash knew that he had to take Caterpie with him.

"Caterpie, do you want to join my team? We're travelling across Kanto, training to become strongest. We're aiming to the top. You can become part of that."

When Ash held out the empty Pokéball, there was no hesitation in Caterpie's choice to join.

"Eeeeek!"

* * *

The group found themselves resting around mid-day, setting up what they needed to have lunch. Ash was cutting up some food for sandwiches, Misty was at a river that passed through the clearing, collecting water, and Pikachu and Caterpie ran around on the grass, playing games.

"Lunch is ready!" At that, everybody went to the table set up beside the river, Misty pulling out three Pokéball as she went. When she got there, she released them out to join everyone, happy Ash had prepared food for them at her request. A Goldeen, Starmie, and Staryu appeared, the former most materializing into the water.

So these are your Pokémon, huh? They look well cared for, and fairly strong. However, I think they might need a bit more nutrients in their diet- I can see by the colour of Staryu's and Starmie's gem, and the length of Goldeen's horn."

They all went about eating their lunch, Ash's Pokémon introducing themselves to Misty's and vice versa.

They were about halfway through their meal when Ash stood abruptly, as if he had made a decision.

"I need to take care of something, I'll be right back." And he left, picking up a bowl of Pokémon food on the way.

He made his way into the forest, finding a clearing that they had passed through not too long ago. It wasn't too big, and it didn't need to be. Ash pulled a red and white sphere off his belt, enlarging it and calling out the creature from inside.

"Spearow!"

* * *

**So what do you think?**

**Once again, thank's to all who reviewed! It makes my day, and the same goes for the favourites and follows.**

**So what Pokemon do you want to see on Ash's team in the future? Who knows, make a suggestion and I might just be able to fit them into the story sometime! **

**I apologise for any mistakes. I don't have much patients going through for mistakes- I read very quickly and don't tend to notice those sorts of things.**

**Well, that's all for now. I have to get working on this next chapter while ideas are still fresh. **

**Cheers!**


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